From: Liz Uihlein
Date: March 13, 2020 at 12:22:09 PM CDT
Subject: The Media is Overblowing COVID-19
Dear Members of the Illinois Legislature:
There were 1,701 cases in the U.S. of which there were 41 deaths; whereas an overwhelming number of people have been infected with and died from the flu this season.
While you may think the government enforced closing of events, schools, etc. is helping prevent the spread of this infection, you are impacting local, state and national economies and adding unnecessary panic and fear in the American people.
What happens in 2 weeks? Are you willing to indefinitely close institutions? At what point do we go back to our normal lives? This has been a huge disruption.
Sincerely,
Liz Uihlein
President, Uline
* Well, legislators received two emailed letters from Ms. Uihlein today. The first brings up some canards about vote by mail…
Members of the Illinois House and Senate –
The Permanent Vote by Mail program makes Illinois elections less secure and offers more opportunity for fraud.
First, per the application, a voter can have the ballot mailed to any address. No safeguards are offered to ensure the voter actually resides at that location.
Second, per our local County Clerk’s notice, the voter must request to be removed from the Vote by Mail program, unless the clerk receives confirmation the voter registered to vote in another county. There is no indication that if a voter moves out of state and fails to provide notice, the address on file will stop receiving a ballot.
Lastly, missing from our local County Clerk’s notice, there is no indication of automatic removal for deceased voters. How and when would a deceased voter be removed from receiving automatic ballots?
Ensuring democracy means having a secure election. Having citizens complete a ballot application for each election, is a minimal ask for the integrity of the vote.
I call on the legislature to pass election reform removing the Permanent Vote by Mail program.
Liz Uihlein
COO
12575 Uline Drive
Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158
* Second email…
Members of the Illinois House and Senate –
It is unfathomable that any elected official that cares about their community would vote to approve the SAFE-T Act. Much like we’ve seen in Washington, D.C. with passage of The Inflation Reduction Act, the SAFE-T Act offers the exact opposite of public safety.
Abolishing cash bail and not requiring pretrial detention for heinous crimes is completely irresponsible. Second-degree murder, arson, and aggravated battery are just a few examples of crimes the SAFE-T Act would allow defendants to freely roam our city streets.
We can look to our neighboring state to the north, Wisconsin, and see how a soft-on-crime approach to the justice system ruins communities. The Waukesha Parade tragedy was horrific and completely preventable if the suspect wasn’t free on low bail.
Illinois is already dealing with rising crime, emboldened career-criminals, and apathetic State’s Attorneys. Releasing individuals already apprehended will only make the matter worse.
I strongly urge you to repeal the SAFE-T Act before these individuals are released into our communities.
* Let’s start with some mailers. All for Justice PAC…
* DPI…
* Speaking of mailers, Dan Proft appears to be moving into the judicial realm in the Metro East…
But the best of the bunch of negative direct mail is paid for by “People Who Play by The Rules PAC” whoever they are. They attack judicial candidate Barry Julian asking in a blood red headline whether judicial seats in Madison County should be for sale and warning that Julian seems to think so.
Julian, a Democrat who is funding his campaign out of his personal resources, also is attacked on his age. Hypocrisy dripping from a flyer obviously funded by a Republican organization out of Florida, that backs someone who will be 78 years old when he runs for President of the United States in 2024.
* Press release…
Elections officials from three Illinois counties met last Saturday with voters from across Central Illinois concerned about the safety and security of our elections to “gain back confidence and trust that your vote is being counted fairly and accurately” said Elizabeth Gannon, Director of the Peoria County Election Commission. The 90 minute event, organized by Illinois People’s Action, also featured Tazewell County Clerk, John Ackerman; and Knox County Clerk, Scott Erickson. The Peoria event followed a similar public meeting held in Bloomington, IL.
Nationally, voters have indicated that they believe democracy is in danger and both Democrats and Republicans identify the other party as the major enemy of democracy, according to a recent New York Times/Siena Poll (10/18/2022). Illinois People’s Action’s nonpartisan Defending Democracy campaign believes that all Americans should be encouraged to participate in our democracy; and first and foremost is exercising our right to vote with confidence that our vote will be fairly counted.
“The event held at the Peoria County Election Commission on October 22, 2022, was an important educational opportunity to learn about how Illinois elections are conducted in a safe and secure manner. I left this event feeling grateful that we have dedicated and knowledgeable individuals safeguarding our elections and that we as citizens can benefit from getting factual information directly from those who work in the elections process and not count on social media or hearsay for such information.” Joyce Rosenberger, IPA Leader & Peoria County Resident
“Many people don’t know how our local and state elections work. The question and answer event with our elections officials was an invaluable way to have a direct conversation with leaders from multiple counties. The officials also demonstrated their dedication to our democratic process.” Reverend Jennifer Innis, Minister, Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria
“One way to rebuild trust, is for local Election Officials, in each state, to review the election process, the security of the equipment being used to register and count the votes, security of drop boxes, and the safeguards to guarantee one vote per registered, living person for early, drop box, mail in, and election day voting, including the time frame for accepting and counting mail in votes, dated by election day, but received after.” Susan Latta, IPA Leader and Peoria County Resident
* Press release…
October 25, 2022 – The WTTW, WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times newsrooms will jointly present a candidate forum with Democrat incumbent Senator Tammy Duckworth and Republican challenger Kathy Salvi leading up to the November 8 midterm election.
The live forum will premiere on WTTW on Thursday, October 27 at 7:00 pm CT. It will stream live and on-demand on wttw.com, Facebook and YouTube, and will broadcast live on WBEZ on 91.5FM in Chicago and on wbez.org. Chicago Tonight co-anchor Paris Schutz and Chicago Sun-Times chief political reporter Tina Sfondeles will moderate the discussion with the candidates in WTTW’s Chicago Tonight studio. They will also take questions live from community members on location at WILL public television station in Champaign, Illinois with WILL’s Tinisha Spain and at La Villita Community Church in Chicago’s Little Village community with WBEZ reporter Michael Puente. Viewers in the region can watch and listen on public television and radio stations across Illinois. Check local listings.
“This election will have a significant impact on residents across our city and state,” said Jay Smith, News Director for WTTW. “We are proud to partner with fellow public media organization WBEZ and with the Chicago Sun-Times to provide voters with trusted, essential coverage and candidates with a forum for civil discourse.”
“Voters have important choices to make this election season,” said WBEZ politics editor Angela Rozas O’Toole. “With this collaboration with WTTW and our sister organization, the Chicago Sun-Times, the public will have the opportunity to hear directly from these U.S. Senate candidates about a number of important issues. We are excited to bring that service to our listeners and viewers.”
“The results of this year’s elections will affect many aspects of our daily lives,” Sfondeles said. “We’re happy to partner with WTTW and WBEZ to help voters comb through key issues in an important Senate race.”
The Congressional Progressive Caucus has withdrawn a letter, signed by 30 House liberals and sent to the White House Monday, that urged President Biden to negotiate directly with Russia to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
The withdrawal comes a day after the letter, led by Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), triggered fierce pushback from many Democrats, as well as from Ukrainian officials, who argued it was unrealistic to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Chicago has a lot of residents with Ukrainian heritage. That flag is everywhere. Just a dumb move on the potential mayoral candidate’s part.
Democrats and their allies have spent a staggering $103 million nationwide on ads about abortion since Labor Day. While Democrats have also spent tens of millions on Medicare and character-related attacks on their opponents, abortion remains the issue they’ve spent the most money on by far. […]
With an unpopular president and record-high inflation, it wasn’t obvious that Republicans needed another line of attack against Democrats this midterms cycle, yet they’ve poured millions into ad buys that paint Democrats as soft on crime. In total, Republicans have spent nearly $50 million on ads focused on crime since Labor Day, making it one of their top issues nationally, per AdImpact’s data. […]
Democrats have focused most of their character ad buys on individuals, especially in Senate races where questions of candidate quality have dominated. Democrats have spent $32 million on character ads compared to $21 million spent by Republicans.
* As of Sunday night, early voting in Chicago stood at 5,220 ballots cast. The jump was caused by early voting being available Monday for all 50 wards…
The most up-to-date Early Vote and Vote By Mail totals in Chicago, night of Monday, October 24, 2022.
The Early Vote total stands at 13,383 ballots cast.
Additionally, 33,909 Vote By Mail ballots have been returned to the Board – total VBM applications stands at 193,376.
The grand total is 47,292 ballots cast so far in Chicago for the November 8th General Election.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* With coaxing from former City Council colleague Mell, Tunney warms to joining crowded race for mayor: With behind-the-scenes encouragement from perennial political power player Richard Mell, retiring Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) is warming to the possibility of joining the crowded field of candidates vying to replace Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “He thinks I would be a good mayor. That’s all I can say,” Tunney, 67, said Monday.“He’s worked with me for years.”
* America’s ‘most dangerous’ law? Illinois candidate warns of ‘anarchy’ after criminal justice overhaul: Crime in Illinois could “spiral out of control” after a new law overhauling the state’s criminal justice system goes into effect in January, the mayor of a Chicago suburb said. “When I said that this is the most dangerous law I’ve ever seen, I believe that,” said Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, who is running for Congress in Illinois’ 6th District.
* Here’s how much it really costs to get on the Chicago mayoral ballot : One rumor out there is that Lori Lightfoot’s campaign has had to double its payments to these workers, shelling out as much as $9 per valid signature. Lightfoot’s campaign denies paying that much but confirms that, after surveying the market, it upped its figure from $4 per valid signature to $6. One top Democratic strategist says they know of campaigns that have paid as much as $16 a signature.
* Where Illinois attorney general stands on SAFE-T Act and COVID-19 restrictions: Raoul backed the law, and said that it would “begin to put a system of accountability and professionalism forth, and hopefully begin to rebuild the trust in law enforcement.” More recently, however, the Attorney General has expressed reservations about the legislation’s impact. At a Sept. 20 campaign event, Raoul said that the law might need revising, telling supporters that ambiguities around whether a defendant poses a threat will require an “ongoing conversation” on where the threshold should be set.
* Rockford’s Maurice West faces challenge from GOP candidate Glen Oland in Illinois 67th West: I will tackle crime by investing in our youth. Since 2021, my office has sponsored READY events (Reaching, Exposing, and Developing Youth), where we take our kids to local places to expose them to what we have in our community. For example, taking students to a farm outside of the city limits to understand the importance of farming, or taking a tour of Severson Dells to learn and appreciate nature. Planting a seed to help them understand their potential. […] Oland: One thing I will do when elected is work to completely repeal the Safe-T Act. It is a 750-page bill that eliminates bail for major criminals and is loaded with pork. I would then put forth a bill to do the cameras for the police and the few things that were ok with the bill.
* Illinois state comptroller: Money among differences between Mendoza and Teresi: Both candidates ran uncontested in their primaries June 28 and got 100% of their party’s votes. Mendoza received 838,155 votes. Teresi received 666,835 votes. […] As with the campaign finance, a look at contributors differentiates the two candidates for comptroller. Teresi had five contributions and only one of those was larger than $1,000. Teresi had a $20,000 contribution from P.O. Box 284 (Aurora). Mendoza, on the other hand, had 13 contributions of more than $10,000 each. Most of those were tied to unions and political action committees.
For the second straight year, the long-term funded ratio of Teachers’ Retirement System has improved, reaching 43.8% at the end of fiscal year 2022. That is a positive increase of 1.3% over the previous year’s funded status.
The TRS Board of Trustees gave preliminary approval to a $6.04 billion state government contribution for the System in FY 2024. That is a 2.5% increase over the state’s $5.89 billion contribution for the current fiscal year.
The increase in the funded ratio came last year despite very volatile investment markets and uncertainty in the world economy. Most large institutional investors like TRS lost money during FY 2022. TRS recorded an investment return rate of -1.17%. Nonetheless, the TRS rate compared favorably to the median return of -7.6% by large pension systems according to RVK, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, the TRS general investment consultant.
“The System’s improved funded ratio is a bright spot in a challenging investment year,” said Stan Rupnik, executive director and chief investment officer of TRS. “The TRS funded ratio improved this year primarily because of consistently positive investment returns over the last five years combined with steady state funding that for two years exceeded the statutory minimum.
“The System’s five-year annualized TRS investment return exceeds 7%, and those gains outweigh the small negative return in FY 2022,” he added. “Increased funding from state contributions and strong investment returns slows the growth of the unfunded liability and over the last two years has slightly improved the funded ratio.”
The total unfunded liability of TRS at the end of FY 2022 was $80.6 billion; a 0.85% increase over the $79.9 billion unfunded liability recorded in FY 2021, according to the System’s annual actuarial valuation, compiled by Segal Consultants, of Chicago.
In the last decade, the TRS funded ratio averaged 40.7 percent. Projections by Segal show slow but steady improvements in the funded ratio between FY 2022 and FY 2045, when state law requires TRS to have a funded ratio of 90 percent. The funded ratio at the end of FY 2021 was 42.5%. During the last two years, the TRS funded ratio has improved by 3.3%.
The funded ratio reflects the difference in the amount of money TRS has in assets against the amount of money the System needs to immediately pay all members the full amounts of benefits they are owed for the rest of time. Altogether, the System’s total long-term liability at the end of FY 2022 was $143.5 billion, a 3.3 percent increase over the previous year.
While the funded ratio is important as an official measure of the System’s long-term fiscal health, it is not a reflection of the System’s current financial ability to pay benefits. In any given year, TRS only is obligated under state law to pay out the amount of money owed annually to eligible retired members and other beneficiaries. During FY 2022, paid benefits totaled $7.6 billion. TRS was more than able to pay all benefits for the year on time and in full. In fact, for 83 years TRS has paid all benefits in full and on time.
* That 2.5 percent increase works out to $150 million. These are fiscal year over fiscal year state funding increases for TRS via COGFA…
Tuesday, Oct 25, 2022 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Uber Eats & Visa partnered with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to create Grants for Growth, resulting in $1,000,000 total grants administered to local restaurants. Learn more.
Ask any of the candidates running for the Illinois Supreme Court if politics will guide their rulings and you’ll get the same answer.
“My commitment is to be impartial and unbiased and to hear the entirety of cases,” said Lake County Judge Elizabeth Rochford, a Democrat.
“I have no political goals,” said her opponent, Mark Curran, an attorney who was formerly Lake County sheriff and the unsuccessful Republican challenger to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin in 2020. “I don’t have anything like that. The job is to rule fairly and to look at facts and the law and apply them.”
Right. Yeah. Isn’t it time that the candidates just drop this impartiality bit? Because it is a bit.
* I mean, no political goals? C’mon, man. You just admitted the other day that you’re a partisan…
Curran spoke more directly to the role of partisanship on the high court, stating that while he wouldn’t rule in a partisan manner, he’d rule in a manner “that is a balance to the governor.”
“Let’s say Darren Bailey wins – he is behind in the polls and everything but, you know, I hope Darren Bailey wins,” Curran said when asked what’s at stake in the Supreme Court election. “Even if he wins, chances are he’s going to be totally ineffective in many regards, because of the fact that the General Assembly has enough votes to override any veto by the governor. So the state will continue to be run by one party, that party being the Democrats. And there’s no check and balance or anything in the state.”
It’s fine to have these positions. It’s OK by me if Justice Rochford flat-out admitted that she’s pro-choice and would rule that way. And it’s OK for Curran to admit that he’s a party-first kind of dude. What’s not fine is to insist you don’t have positions when you clearly do. We act like our top judges are high priests, or something. They aren’t. And this dance we force on them is really getting tiring.
* Related…
* Pivotal Illinois Supreme Court elections, fueled by Big Money, are on the docket: In 2017, Illinois repealed a 1975 “trigger law” that would have banned abortion in Illinois should Roe v. Wade be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. That should have settled the matter. But a lawsuit has been brought to reinstate the Illinois trigger law, and a newly constituted Supreme Court could do so, as Ramos, a former state legislator and former head of the Illinois Department of Heath Care and Family Services, points out. If that happens, Illinois law would prohibit abortions unless necessary for the preservation of the mother’s life.
* Mark Brown: Democrats and Republicans wage high-stakes battle for control of state Supreme Court: Republicans are rerunning the anti-Madigan playbook that worked against Kilbride, portraying Rochford and O’Brien as “cronies” of the unpopular former speaker. Just before he forsook Illinois for Florida, billionaire Ken Griffin made a parting gift of $6.25 million to Citizens for Judicial Fairness, which is paying for the attack ads.
* Ken Griffin’s millions could flip Illinois Supreme Court on abortion and unions: In the second district, Democrats have spent $2.6 million, including $1.8 million by political expenditure committee All for Justice and $848,800 by Rochford’s campaign, according to AdImpact, which tracks election spending. On the Republican side, Griffin-backed Citizens for Judicial Fairness is spending $1 million. In the third district, Democrats have spent $1.6 million and Republicans have shelled out $1.1 million, almost all booked by Citizens for Judicial Fairness. O’Brien has booked $281,000, with $1.2 million additional in support from All For Justice.
The race to succeed DuPage County Board Chair Dan Cronin is one of the most closely watched in Illinois, with both candidates raking in large donations for the final leg of the campaign.
State Rep. Deb Conroy is trying to become the first Democrat and the first woman to take the county board gavel. Her opponent, Greg Hart, has positioned himself as a rising star in county Republican politics.
The pricey contest will be key to determining whether Democrats can expand their influence in a county that was considered reliably Republican even a decade ago.
“DuPage County has been shifting Democrat for a long time, but it’s still pretty purple,” said Melissa Mouritsen, a political science professor at the College of DuPage.
* With that in mind, here’s a press release…
Greg Hart, candidate for DuPage County Board Chairman, today hit the airwaves with a broadcast buy and a brand new campaign ad.
The ad points to Deb Conroy’s “secret agenda” of raising our taxes, including doubling the gas tax. It also ties Conroy and her tax-raising votes to Mike Madigan.
Illinoisans know Madigan as the corrupt former House Speaker who was indicted for schemes that padded his own pockets and that of his associates. Hart’s ad ties Conroy with Madigan saying she conspired with him to raise income taxes four times, as well as raising her own pay.
“DuPage deserves better than a tax-and-spend Springfield politician,” said Hart. “On the ballot for County Board Chairman, there’s an extreme choice in Deb Conroy, or there’s a candidate who has already consistently worked with other board members to lower taxes and keep government ethics above board. I think the voters will go with the moderate, common-sense choice who will protect their tax dollars at the end of the day.”
Deb Conroy has a secret agenda.
Raising your taxes.
Conroy voted to double the gas tax, tying it to inflation.
You pay more as prices go up.
Deb Conroy partnered with corrupt Mike Madigan to raise income taxes four times, and raise her own pay.
And just like the Springfield politician she is, Deb Conroy wants to increase DuPage taxes.
Greg Hart - a true independent, a socially moderate outsider.
Hart won’t raise taxes on DuPage families.
* For context, Rep. Conroy issued this press release the day that Madigan was indicted in the AT&T probe…
Mike Madigan’s Leadership Betrayed Our Trust
VILLA PARK, Ill – Representative Deb Conroy, D-Elmhurst, “Mike Madigan’s leadership betrayed our trust and cost Illinois taxpayers millions of dollars,” Conroy said. “This indictment shows once again how Madigan’s entrenched power undermined our government.”
“I am proud that I stood firm with 18 of my Democratic colleagues in demanding Mike Madigan’s resignation as Speaker and calling for new, transparent, honest leadership in Springfield. Our courage and determination brought an end to a painful era in our state history.”
“Together, we are committed to building a state government that will work for everyone in Illinois – not just the chosen and well-connected few. With Madigan’s reign over at last, we are bringing Illinois toward a brighter, more prosperous future.”
* Statewide candidates make pitches across Illinois with two weeks before election: Incumbent Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker has made several stops around the state in recent days in his reelection bid. At a church in Chicago Monday, he said his Republican opponent Darren Bailey is too extreme for Illinois. […] Bailey, who says Pritzker is the one who is too extreme, wrapped up a four-day southern Illinois bus tour this weekend.
* Bos, Syed disagree on bill hiking penalties for fentanyl crimes: While some state lawmakers are backing legislation that would make possession of small amounts of fentanyl a misdemeanor, state Rep. Chris Bos is co-sponsoring a bill that instead would stiffen penalties for crimes involving the powerful synthetic opioid. But his opponent in the race for the 51st state House District seat says increasing punishment is not the solution to the fentanyl crisis.
* Deering calls out Budzinski over money she made as a consultant: This came after the Better Government Association reported that Budzinski received more than $500,000 from a lobbyist and progressive organizations that don’t disclose where their money comes from, often referred to as “dark money.” “While there may not be any official laws broken yet, she always seems to be just outside the door of corruption,” Deering said during a news conference Monday.
* Political newcomer vying to be the voice in Springfield for growing Latino population in northern Illinois: Campaign leaflets, cookies, and even a baby for Juan Reyes, 50, to pose with were at hand at a recent fundraising event in Rockford for his candidacy. He’s running for Illinois Senate in the 34th District as a Republican against Democrat Steve Stadelman. “When they asked me what is my platform, I say three things: God, family and country,” Reyes said.
* More to come!
[Links are all fixed now, sorry about that folks! -Isabel]
